Distance travelled – 67.2 km
Avg speed – 19.9 kph
Max speed – 46.7 kph

Fingal to Campbell Town

This morning we awoke to find Fingal shrouded in fog that was thick enough to obscure the other side of the street. It was quite a surprise as this is something we normally associate with a winter in Canberra. The fog meant there was no chance of an early start so we took our time packing and spent time talking with another guest and the new owner of the hotel.

The dominant backdrop to Fingal is Ben Lamond and the fog cleared to reveal blue skies and great views of the mountain. As we rode west every corner seemed to give us a better view of this mountain. Another place to be added to the ‘must go back to list’.

Perhaps the most unpleasant part of our journey is passing all the road kill left behind when our wildlife is not quick enough to get out of the way of the traffic, but in a morbid way it can also be very interesting. On the ‘big island’ the most prominent animal left behind is the shingle back lizard, here in Tasmania it is the brush-tailed possum. Unfortunately from time to time we also see rarer and more elusive animals and today we came across an Eastern Quoll. These animals are about the size of a domestic cat and its fawn coat is covered in white spots. It was these spots that grabbed our attention as they were nearly fluorescent and stood out from a long way away. Unfortunately the Eastern Quoll is now confined to Tasmania and is thought to be extinct on the mainland.

Zoom into the map and use the 'Satellite' layer to see our new location.

Fingal Anglican church in fog this morning

Window in 'The Stables', Fingal Hotel

The view from the edge of Fingal. The peaks in the distance are part of Ben Lamond National Park

The road west outside Avoca

The last photograph taken by my trusty Canon 20D. After a sound like an electrical short, it now reports "Error 99" which experience has shown is usually fatal. Hopefully Rebecca will be able to send us one of our other cameras in Launceston. We will have to use Denise's camera until then :-(

The Grange, Campbell Town

The 'red brick' bridge, Campbell Town. Built by convicts in the mid 1800's to carry horse drawn carriages travelling between Launceston and Hobart. Today it is still an integral part of the Midland Highway carrying very heavy semi trailers without any structural strengthing since it was built. On our journey we have passed many bridges built in the 1960s that have been replaced by new stronger structures. Obviously in this case they knew how to make bricks and build bridges 150 years ago.

New sculptures in the park near the convict built bridge in Campbell Town

New sculptures under construction in the park near the convict built bridge in Campbell Town

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